Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God [IC|MT|Open]

by **Caracasus** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 6:19 am

Villi Island – Javvid

There must have been about sixty or so people gathered in a small mob outside the hotel. The island community was a tight knit one and word had spread fast. It was also a very quiet community. The gathered protestors really had not had a great deal of experience rioting, which was, Javvid conceded, probably a good thing under the circumstances.

The doors opened and the security guards strode out. An egg sailed through the air and caught one square in the face. A couple of vegetables bounced off the low roof and rolled to a stop. The protestors looked about at each other. What next?

Had it been Jevellit or Quoris, one of Caracasus's more built up areas, no doubt they'd be yelling slogans, insults, maybe even bricks. Javvid looked closely at the four men he was technically responsible for the safety of. Diplomats apparently, from some fascist state with an interest in Posteastan. It looked as if they had their luggage with them, which relieved him no end. A day or two more of the diplomat's presence and someone might start something serious.

The lull in the crowd relaxed him, allowed him to take in the gravelled walkway. Perhaps he'd underestimated. It looked closer to eighty or so people were closing in on the commune.

He was about to take a step forward when one of them... no, surely not...

“These are diplomats? he asked himself.

The salute was particularly ill judged and the crowd sought to match insult for insult. Not much beats an overripe tomato. They're reasonably easy to pelt a decent distance and splatter nicely. It seemed that all eighty or so assembled must have thrown a dozen or so tomatoes practically one after the other; the front of the commune certainly looked that way. The barrage must have only lasted a few seconds, but for those caught in it it must have seemed a lifetime of soft thuds as tomato after tomato exploded in, around and on them.

Raw tomato pulp dripped from the windows, it turned the pavement outside the commune into a slippery red ice rink. Little yellow pips clung to the clothing of the guests, juice ran down their faces, soaked into their clothes and pooled at their feet. Hair matted and stained, clothes drenched, the crowd waited with baited breath.

Javvid strode forward. Turned to face them.

“Alright, okay. You've made your points now, right? Let's get 'em out of here.”

“No way! Not yet, we're not done with them yet!”

Javvid sighed. “So what are you going to do with them, huh? Beat them up? Kill them? There's four of them and what... eighty of you?”

“Four would be a start.”

Javvid recognised the speaker. Pointed and singled him out.

“You there with the gob. Want to kill some fascists right? Here. I'll stand right back and let you get a decent shot. Okay?”

He unholstered the revolver, held it handle out in front of him. The young man stepped forward, the crowd went silent. Even in the midst of a protest, they knew when to sit back and watch the entertainment unfold.

“Go on then. Take it. Shoot them. Can you do that?”

Seconds stretched to eternity. The young man stood with the crowd at his back, isolated. He shook his head.

“Nah. I didn't think so. Look, you've made your point, they're not welcome and they're going – now. I reckon it might be an idea if we all do the same, right?”

The crowd reluctantly dispersed. The morning's entertainment done. Several of the more enthusiastic tomato throwers looked about for buckets and taps.

Javvid sighed. Looked at the four men.

“We've got a truck coming that'll take you to the ferry. From there, it's a pretty short walk to the airfield. Our lot have let your lot know to expect you. I'd advise you go get a shower, but frankly that's up to you isn't it?”

Announcement

It has come to the attention of International Observations that yet again documents purported to be secret communications between International Observations agents have surfaced. While the quality of these forgeries is slightly higher than previous “leaks”, International Observations strenuously denies these come from our headquarters and reminds everyone that spreading misinformation and fabricated documents endangers everyone. Please do not disseminate these documents.

Obvious forgery below. I mean, it's clearly not from International Observations. Obviously not. The very idea.

Working on project 29 at the moment and came across this... Did you know about Count Varinel of Posteastan? More your area than hagoeuohxnbbfi

The count was ruler of what is now Western Posteastan in 1420. When the Paraphonians looked to expand into Posteastan, the king of Posteastan raised a mighty army and rode at its head to the mountain passes. Count Varinel had very little in the way of soldiers, and many of his lords had abandoned the cause, looking to throw their lot in with the Paraphonians. All that Count Varinel had was one hostage as exchange of hostages was common in that era. The son of the Paraphonian army's general.......

[CORRUPTED DATA]

…......The Count invited the general and many other dignitaries to a great feast to discuss terms of surrender. Many animals were slaughtered and prepared with delicacies from around the known world served up. One particular dish was singled out for the Paraphonian general - succulent roast pork.

Once the general had his fill, he returned to the camp. A messenger from the Count arrived carrying a silver platter inscribed with the words "finish what you started." The lid was lifted, and the general saw the severed, cooked head of his own son staring up at him with an apple in his mouth.

The general, overcome with rage and horror ordered an immediate attack on Posteastan, without properly planning or scouting the battlefield. The Count's forces, though still severely outnumbered and under equipped proved just enough to counter the strategically unsound assault. To this day, Posteastan has never been successfully invaded and held by an occupying force.

What do you think? We've checked the records. It's an old Paraphonian legend which [CORRUPTED DATA] don't subscribe to anymore but I thought that [CORRUPTED DATA] maybe? Precious little Posteastan history on [CORRUPTED DATA}

Reply: FhowsfhFUlF

Yeah I did but its bullshit if you ask me. You spend too much time on the internet. It's completely unsub[CORRUPTED DATA]

People who actually believe that story also believe that his bodyguard consisted of 13 men that had forsworn god and king and vowed to serve no one but Varinel. [CORRUPTED DATA] totally fabricated story especially the part where they all burned their emblazoned surcoats to replace them with plain sheets and that they painted their shields in the same colour and hence became known as 'the men in grey' you know as well as I that this all ends in stupid conspiracy theories.

If there would be any truth to that story [CORRUPTED DATA] Kenyes and The Red Sky Faction would be in Posteastan and if, and I say IF the Men in Grey would really exist, do you seriously believe they would do nothing when some AI in Caracasus rats on a one of the thirteen travelling on a containership to… I am sorry but I thought you are smarter than that.

You did never strike me as the conspiracy theory type of guy. But What's it to me. You can believe whatever you like. Fact is that Varinel simply was a good tactician, that he used armored carts and the territory to his advantage and that the Paraphonians had been on the march for months before the battle. He wasn't a saint by any means, but none of those old bastards were. That's why most of them lost their heads.

[CORRUPTED DATA} at least some Wikipedia and don't just re-post random stuff you picked up somewhere on the net. You're supposed to be a professional.

by **Posteastan** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 7:27 am

REPUBLIC OF POSTEASTAN

Official Statement of the Republic of Posteastan

To: Grand Ambassador Peter Nizhinsky
Subject: Security and Stability
OFFICIAL TELEGRAM FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD

I thank you for this gesture and I will personally take care that you will be supported by any means at our command in your covered campaign as long as it leads to arrests and not to assassinations. If the gangsters resist, well tough luck. That would be their problem then. The Posteastan Assistance Act seems like a very helpful step forward. At the moment there is not much besides fish that we can offer. A few textiles and car parts, mostly car textiles but that is about all we produce in significant number. We no longer control the extractive industry.

Aid through airlift is much appreciated as well. Yes, I agree. The Sakala is better armed and equipped than the National Guard. It is difficult to tell the percentage of the offensive ability they have lost. They are operating along the lines of the capitalist ideology. They have outsourced a lot of the violence and are hiring other groups to provide the firepower they need. The thing is, that these experts are the very same people who managed to preserve a considerable arsenal of heavy weapons throughout the prolonged and all-out bombing campaign of the Northern Alliance. These are the men you turn to when you need an armored brigade to be stored away safely in the vast bunker complexes in the northern mountains. They are the people who know how to build a mock-up tank division that will fool the most advanced detection devices in existence. I know some of these men, they used to be my superiors. Considering that they experienced an aerial war of a massive scale, lived through it and managed to preserve their weapons I think this last (and much smaller) campaign did not do too much harm to them. I Can't make assumptions for the naval campaign. If you had a list of vessels and could chalk all of them up than I guess you destroyed all available ships.

I would like to come to Allanea to discuss the matters of reforming the police and undertaking limited military action in person. I agree that you need the military to stop a tank but fighting the Sakala is like fighting a guerilla army. We need to separate them from their supporters and we need to find alternative means of income for those who work for them. Your campaign has brought some great successes but I have to rule this nation till the president does return and I need it stable. Terrorists already control six out of nine provinces. There are more internally displaced persons than ever I need the entire National Guard to fight the terrorists. Right now most of my troops are engaged guarding your installations against the Sakala. If that would be possible I would also like to request to send one thousand police officers to Allanea for thorough training. Not necessarily combat training but training in discipline, service, the respect of human rights and good policing. The dangers of corruption and so on. They might even serve unarmed once peace has been restored.

There is reason for careful optimism though. We now have a lot of much better and more reliable soldiers at our disposal. An international peace keeping force has arrived and these people are a lot less corrupt than our own police and National Guard. Most importantly they do not have any clan loyalties and they are not depending on the money.

National Guard Headquarters
Nina Neacsu
Telinburg

Isle of Corney, Great Nortend

Sir Alexander sat in his comfortable arm chair and smiled. He liked the company and also the attention. His life was good in Great Nortend, probably a lot better than it ever could be in Posteastan. However, there was always something missing form his life. This last piece, it was now there. He was old but he never before felt better or more alive. Rubbing his hands he spoke to his friends and the new arrivals. "We are making great progress; the Moralists are no more and it seems that Valaska has already fled the country. The communist invasion has been repelled! All this mostly to the tireless work of the Kingdom of Lux Pulchrae." He waved at the new arrivals. "You just arrived in time my friends. The days of the defensive are over, now we are going to move on to new frontiers. Lux Pulchrae has established full control over Telin Province and we now need to speak about our next steps." He pointed at a map on the heavy oak table. Small flags showed the ever-shrinking territory controlled by Telinburg and but they also showed all the new places where the cog-wheel banner had been raised. Sir Alexander slowly placed two Kjalaaran flags in the seaward provinces. "We have a new problem now. Heathens, coming to take our land? I am not sure what to do about it or how serious this problem is going to be. No one is going to beat them in open combat. They are just too many for that, but we can use that to our advantage if we avoid them and let Tavitian 's men do all the dying. What are your thoughts my friends? Are we going to continue at this speed and all on our own or is it time to find allies and diplomatically increase our sphere of control?"

Roztechko and Pibtsy

The arrival of thousands of foreign soldiers was at one hand reassuring for the people of the port cities but many also feared that the war would now enter a whole new phase. It was good to see these people had arrived as friends. The Kjalåran giants were often eyes with suspicion but the distribution of aid and presents soon began to work and the people soon viewed the huge heathens as friends and protectors.

With the IDS now patrolling the streets and manning the checkpoints the ability to strike and move for the Syndicate was dramatically reduced. The downtown districts and the harbor areas were hermetically cut off from the rest of the city and so called 'green zones' free of Syndicate or terrorist activity could be established.

For the moment the Syndicate did not engage the IDS and it most certainly did not engage the Kjalåran naval infantry. There were incidents of infighting and a growing rivalry between the traditional and the Wright wing of the Syndicate in which the Wright wing slowly but steadily was getting the upper hand.

The 'green zones' turned out to be a big problem for the Syndicate. Allanean operatives used the checkpoints to inspect all incoming and outgoing goods, leading to long delays but also removing a primary source of income for the syndicate. Largely deprived of their own merchant navy the Syndicate had to resort to old fashioned smuggling on board of other ships. True, there still were crates of drugs passing through the security, rocket launchers or disassembled rifles, ammunition and all that but the days of selling shipping containers full of guns or buying boat loads of antibiotics were passed. The omnipresence of Kjalåran warriors and to a much lesser extend soldiers from Schwarzenfels, the skill and the experience of the Allaneans and the extensive and prolonged background checks by Construction Enterprises took a heavy toll from the Syndicate. Soon the Wrights would have total control over the coast. Their cruelty and the quick expansion of their territory soon earned the Wright faction the name 'Moroi' in Posteastanian legend, phantoms of dead persons which leave the graves to draw energy from the living.

REPUBLIC OF POSTEASTAN

Official Statement of the Republic of Posteastan

To: The Federal Republic of Great Oehiton
Subject: Repatriation
OFFICIAL TELEGRAM FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD

Dear President Bjørn Peter Nielsson,

I am more than willing to evict the Oehitonian terrorists from Posteastan. The situation is a bit more complicated. Many of the citizens of your country have banded together and formed a military network called Jomsvikingar. These people are armed to the teeth and most of them are veterans of several wars and highly trained professionals. I have no contact to these people and they pretty much do as they please.

If they are willing to disarm and you organize their transportation I will not stop them from leaving. The fewer terrorists we have in Posteastan the better. We have a very strong Kjalåran peace keeping force now in Posteastan. They can guarantee the well-being and protection of your citizens once they surrender.

National Guard Headquarters
Nina Neacsu
Telinburg

Coal mining is still an important source of income in the North.

The Cold North

The establishment of 'green zones' did not only hit the Syndicate hard. The restricted access to the shipping docks was also a matter of grave concern for the Renegades in the north. It was no longer possible to simply bribe a few officials and ship raw materials out and supplies in. There still was Tamo, the most important trading hub so the impact was by no means as hard as it was for the Syndicate but still, it was a severe setback.

The trade deals with the Syndicate were no longer of any use in that particular field of economy. New trade deals had to be brokered and this time with the Telinburg government and they took a good share in the coal and ore that was brought down from the north.

Less income could only mean one thing if the demand was ever increasing. It was time to step up production. The war and the terror and counter terror had driven more people to the north and there was always room in the mines. With the rising number of people many had to resort to the tradition of opening their own mines and digging in abandoned tunnels or those that had been bombed previously or otherwise seemed too dangerous to be operated. Even by the Renegades.

Telin Province

There was also another source of income that suddenly became available to the Renegades. The Syndicate War and the activities of the Royalists finally forced the National Guard to abandon all positions in Telin province and retreat to the cities or the east.

On one hand this was a Royalist victory, on the other hand it opened the way for the raiders from the north. With the National Guard, out of their way the Renegades often ventured into Telin Province and raided towns and villages as far south as the Milila River.

Most of the raids were organized and commanded by Ove Drag. Engagements between the Royalist Militia and his men were few and always ended in the destruction of the Royalist forces. The raids were fast and brutal but the raiders did never establish outposts or bases in Royalist territory. On a few occasions, the Dragon's men used the undefended border to their south for raids into Orikson.

That in return lead to an angry note to the government in Leozina, it was studied and discussed by the Royalists and later passed on to their allies in the Royalist Headquarters.

CONFEDERACY OF THE PATRIOTIC BLOCK

Official Statement of the Patriotic Block

To: Leozina
Subject: Defend Your Borders!
OFFICIAL TELEGRAM FROM THE DOMNITOR

Hail,

With the routing of the National Guard you have achieved control over your province. You are not exercising this control. We admire your fight against communism and slavers but you have to take care of the northern border. If you don't man the checkpoints and close the roads, if you don't take up where the National Guard has left, we will do that for you.

On more than one occasion the Renegades have used the borders you have left open for raids into our territory. I am responsible for my people. I have to protect them. If you are not willing to do the same I am forced to occupy the Northern Telin province to the River Milila and establish a closed border myself.

I hope that you take my words of advice serious. We have often cooperated in the past and I do not want to risk our good relations as neighbors but one way or the other the raids on Orikson Province need to stop.

I also ask you to cut the communists in Kolvce from any supplies. They are sponsored and financed by Caracasus but all their supplies, their food their soldiers, their energy and their fuel, everything is moved through your province. Even helicopters and tanks. I ask you to stop fighting the war for Caracaus and act against the reds. Close the river and stop delivering electricity.

On Guard!

Office of the Domnitor
Orikson
Remus Balan

International Volunteers fighting in Kolvce

Kolvce

The situation in Kolvce was changing now. There was a massive influx of humanitarian aid, an immunization campaign and a secure supply of clothes and heating. And with the aid came the volunteers. And with the volunteers came the weapons. Driving Balan's men back to the north had become easier with the beginning raids of the Renegades. The nationalists now had to fight on two fronts and the Kolvce resistance could no longer be neglected. While still not as strong as the Dragon's formidable fighting force the soldiers of the small province were now capable of putting up a serious fight.

Still, most of the work undertaken by the Kolvce Liberation Army was construction work, communal work and maintaining the towns and villages. Even the international volunteers were carefully screened for people with engineering skills or experience in education or medicine. Defending the people of Kolvce did not only mean to shoot fascists dead, that was an important part though. It also meant to build houses, repair damaged plants and factories and support the average people in their day to day business.

The Syndicate never was particularly strong around Kolvce, mostly because there really was not enough money to be made. Kolvce never had anything but poverty. From that position, it was easy to prevent them from committing too many atrocities against aid workers. But still, a few foreigners got shot, blown up or kidnapped. A low activity did not mean that there was no activity.

Among the KLA and the Volunteer Legion there were open discussions whether or not to enter an alliance with the Renegades to crush the Nationalists and the Fascists between Hammer and Anvil before the government counteroffensive would begin. That way buffer zones could be established both in the north and the east. The many spies and agents within the ranks of the Volunteer Legion did their best to report this development back to the parties that had send them in the first place. They made sure that their superiors would contact the KLA and inform them about their thoughts on that idea.

The flu was still not beaten but the piles of dead bodies were no longer growing. A lot had been accomplished in a very short time. Kolvce was now stronger than it had ever been before. And still it would hardly be capable of withstanding a unified attack from fascists and nationalist forces. Its fate was largely depending on the decisions of the People's Chamber where to venture now. Tavitian 's forces would now decide where to move next and everything was possible. A long war of attrition against the government would by Kolvce enough time to consolidate its power, if the Statists and their allies would decide to overrun the Fascists from two sides Kolvce would be totally cut off as Tavitian would most likely not even let humanitarian goods pass. An alliance between him and the Fascist would also be possible but never one between the People's Chamber and the Renegades. The hatred against them was just too deep, it was worse than against the Government. Reconciliation between Telinburg and Tabolov was also unthinkable. It was to be hoped that more volunteers and more weapons would arrive soon.

by **Uan aa Boa** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:36 am

Silver Dew in Moonlight Commune, Villi Island - the previous night
Adeema walked briskly away from the Lux Pulchraens feeling a mixture of adrenaline and relief. She'd been acutely worried about the fallout if she were exposed conversing with the fascists. Alarming though it had been for a moment - she couldn't quite believe Gentile had actually picked her up - she couldn't have scripted it better herself. Any witnesses would now have seen a lone unarmed woman being manhandled by someone with uniformed goons around him. She'd happily have footage of that broadcast at a Vegan Front rally. Funny, she thought, how chivalry survived among those who hated the idea of misogyny.

Still, she wasn't planning on walking back towards the hostel while Gentile and d'Umbra were on the road. Instead she passed the refectory and cut across the scrub towards the beach, taken by a sudden urge to swim.

Adeema liked Caracasus. She should, obviously, since it was her country's oldest and closest ally... but also she shouldn't. Why would you hold a conference hours of travel from the diplomatic centre and then put the accommodation 5km from the venue, requiring everyone to be ferried about by planes and cars? Cars! And so many people were like the offended young stoners from the refectory. They were left to decide how much work they wanted to do in their jobs and chose, on average, about 10 hours a week. How was anything supposed to get done? And yes, there was important symbolism to the fact that First Speaker Marrik and her had made their own evening meal, but how much more productively they could both have spent the time. They couldn't even speak freely in the communal kitchen.

And yet... there was something about the morning and evening walk to the hostel. There was something more about Marrik's look of expectation as she tasted the sabzi he had made for her to showcase an unfamiliar herb. Adeema realised she was planning to call her mother and ask her how to make fufu to show him in return, though her mother too had been eating in large scale canteens for years.

"One thing that dog Marx never understood," d-Umbra had said, "was that you cannot remove human nature from humans." He thought her a naive dreamer and yet she always felt dirty negotiating back room deals, handing over information in secret, calculating what was deniable, walking the grey areas at the boundaries of the acceptable. Yet she did believe he was wrong and that nothing mattered more than proving him so. That in expecting the worst of people he ensured that was what they would give him. An optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds, while a pessimist fears it may be true. But maybe one could see the world for what it was and still make it better. The answer must be in the attempt - it was the Party's motto.

Home sometimes seemed a place she was absent from, an idea more than a location. You had to persuade yourself that everything was to defend that home, and she realised now that it didn't just mean the conscientious Boani workers clocking on for a 10 hour shift before an evening in their commune's educational programme - it could also mean the indolence of the innocent young Caracasusians and this place where she could swim naked in the moonlight without a thought for her safety or the dignity of her office.

"Fuck yes," she said out loud in a distinctly un-Boani manner. "Fuck yes, you fascist hatespeakers. A dreamer always."

by **Caracasus** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:12 am

Train tunnel - Northern Postestan

"Nothing. Just raw rock."

Her voice echoed strangely this deep into the tunnels. She lifted their torch. Illuminated the dry carved walls. The tunnel ended abruptly, lined with abandoned drilling equipment. Here and there bats shifted this way and that about the ceiling. It'd taken several shaped charges for the soldiers of the Civil Defense Committee to break through the bricked up tunnel and uncover its treasures, however the bats that roosted here had a million tiny entrances and exits they could use.

"Alright. We head back. Follow the markers and regroup. We'll try the other tunnels." Kjoll wiped the dust from his face with the sleeve of his jacket and hoisted his rifle until it fit more comfortably on his back. Him and the two scouts picked their way back over reinforced concrete sleepers and pins. Here and there something scuttled underfoot in the gloom of the artificial cave.

Keynes was waiting for them at the junction. "No joy?"

Kjoll shook his head. "Nope. It must be here, right?"

"If it had been sold or dismantled, and if any record of that had been kept anywhere, Birla would have it by now. We've tracked it down to these tunnels. It was last used a decade ago. Pytstim Diesel Electric owned only one location at the time where they could reasonably expect to store the damn thing. It's here."

And it was. Beams of light from the scouts crept over the giant tarpaulin. Here and there it was stained with oil. Like a shroud for a giant, it almost brushed the ceiling of the vault. Rats and mice had nibbled holes in the cloth where it had been pinned to the floor, dust sprang up from it when it was touched.

"Okay, let's get this off then. See what we've got to work with."

by **Kenmoria** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 11:01 am

With everything in place, from the ranks upon ranks of soldiers lined up like ants writhing across dirt, to the podium whereon a presentation extolling the virtues and downplaying the vices of Construction Enterprises would take place, the conference could finally begin. Kjalårans had been given instruction, from their command to the IDS organisers, to remain on a path of promoting Queen Tove. The monarch had recently been under attack, for reasons that bemused most of the employees of the Kenmorian corporation, so it was only fitting that an anti-propaganda campaign would be established, starting at this event. Furthermore, the IDS troops were instructed to look generally jolly, and make lots of positive remarks about Posteastan, with highlights of the infrastructure.

On the other hand, the responses by some of the journalists could be less than ideal. In particular, some of the foreign questioners were expected to be very irritating, to the degree that there were several panic screens of warm fields with soldiers running through carrying children in case of emergency. The speakers had all been briefed, three Construction Enterprises, one IDS, and were contractually obliged to be succeful. Failure to do so would be considered a violation of the freedom of business, and result in a prison sentence back in Kenmoria for breach of business law. Therefore, in many ways, this would be the most important conference of several people’s lives.

Firstly, there was the opening sequence. Like a ballet, only with a lot more machine guns, the soldiers began standing to attention, prompted by an earclip. An alert was sent to the nearest towns and villages, informing any journalists or foreign diplomats in the area that the conference was starting. It was paid for by Construction Enterprises, and made sure that there could be no suspicions of this being an underground or somehow seedy event. The beginning arrivals were Kenmorian journalists, a lot of whom had deals already in place with IDS and were working to just as much of a script as the soldiers they were questioning. However, some reporters from The Custodian were less friendly, and began immediately dragging the troops onto the unfortunate topic of a nuclear standoff.

“What do you think of Queen Tove’s militaristic attitude?” Came one voice, shouting as though this query would decide the fate of the earth. “Are you aware of the monopoly currently being formed by foreign agents in Posteastan?” Of course the soldiers weren’t aware; their job was to smile and talk about how great the food was. “Is the prior engagements with the Syndicate something you are proud to be representing?” Although the answer to this question was printed on a flashcard beforehand, the soldiers being interviewed had forgotten the correct response. The backup plan, fortunately for him, he remembered that, was to pretend to only speak French. “Were you told about the plans to invade the Renegades?” Asked another, luckily one in agreement with IDS on various matters. “Yes,” the man replied, glad to finally be given a query he could answer, “And I am pleased to be fighting about daily human rights abuses occurring in North Posteastan.”

Meanwhile, a presenter was stood on a podium in the metal shed that had been built for the occasion, a Construction Enterprises spokesperson. “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this esteemed event.” A few journalists, more Kenmorian, some Kjalåran, and a few others were filing into chairs. “I am hear to answer any questions you may have in my comlany’s business relations in this area, particularly those involving IDS and the Kjalåran forces, both of which I am inordinately pleased to have the opportunity to represent. Although I know some of you must have some very interesting and insightful queries, I first want to give you some background information.”

“Ever since our founding, in the early 20^th Century, Construction Enterprises has been proud to join the fight against evil. That’s why, in WWII, we were glad to be fighting with the rest of Kenmoria against the Axis powers and towards a brighter, more economically free future. In the beginning, we were just a small business fixing homes and trying to build offices and places of work for our fellow residents of the world. However, we soon grew and, by the 1970s, our first overseas branch was established, working to improve the lives of those in the Middle East through our humanitarian program.”

“It was inspired by this that we first joined the situation in Posteastan, though we decided to take a far more active role than we had done before this. Jonathan Fletcherson, the Foreign Minister of our nation, contacted us to help repair the infrastructure of Posteastan, and of course we agreed with haste. Our work was building roads, streetlights, and trying to repair the broken landscape in Roztechko. Although all of this was done under the auspices of President Niculai Valadka, it was not intended to be an effort to force a certain outcome in the conflict, but rather help those who it was possible to do so.”

“As this project grew, it became more and more influential on the people of the city. We weathered through terrorist attacks by the Black Party, shortly after the beginning of our telecommunications project. These were dangerous, and very frightening for local residents and our employees, but would not defeat us. We came back stronger than ever, and in fact expanded our operations to Pibtsy, another port city, to help even more than before. With this done, work could proceed at a gentle and steady pace, with humanitarian aid to those who need it and the support of local business.”

“Then, arrived the controversy of the Syndicate, a criminal organisation we were forced to employ to enable our workers to live in safety, and one who we are now exceedingly happy to have abandoned. It led to us changing certain policies, such as our justice operations, where we improved prisons and co-operated with the local authorities to deliver fitting sentences for those who disturbed the already war-torn lives of Roztechko and Pibtsy residents. It was then that we realised something more had to be done, so that there would be no more complaints of inaction on our part towards problems in Posteastan.”

“Our solutions to this, was the employment of International Defence Services, better known as IDS. We told them to send their strongest, fastest and best to the port of Pibtsy and a temporary runway in Roztechko, in order to restore law and order in these regions and begin an assault on the Renegades, who daily threaten the safety of citizens everywhere in the country through their lack of accountability, transparency, and lack of regard for human rights. Although there have been some rocky relations in the past, this was a move that we imagined would be supported by all, due to the inherent lawlessness of North Postestan.”

“Along the way, we were joined by the Kjalåran fleet, who wish to evacuate the Jomsvikingar from the area and towards safety. To do this, they needed IDS support and military to clear the area of any violent groups, while we would benefit from an independent agent to scrutinise us and ensure our accountability. As I’m sure you are aware, both the Kjalårans and the IDS join us at the conference today. Both groups have however, had to endure suffering and hardship on their way here.”

“The crisis outside Posteastan, in fairly deserted waters, was of course highly regrettable. Unbeknownst to us, there were Uan aa Boa vessels in what would be our path, as an unfortunate result of the lack of easy communication between our nations. As our dual-nation fleet arrived close to our destination, we found our way blocked by foreign agents. This would be fine and was, in the end, dealt with by some skilled control of naval forces by the Boanis, who must be commended for that. However, other nations began entering the fray, and threatening unwarranted military action against the peaceful Kjalåran fleet. Of course, a response was promised to such malicious escalation, which caused a dark pile up of ships from several nations.”

“On the other hand, the aircraft-lifted troops arrived safely in the temporary Roztechko runway, and were greeted enthusiastically by locals. However, then disaster struck. Unknown terrorists, most likely angered by the infrastructure and standards of living that have been brought to Posteastan by Construction Enterprises and others, attacked the place of landing, killing many and injuring more in addition to that. It was a small mercy that few of our soldiers were murdered in this fashion, although terrible that non-combatants took the hit.”

He paused, while a video showing names and faces of the deceased played in the background, accompanied by solemn music. “As I said before in relation to the Black Party, these attacks may be deadly, but they will not defeat us. So, on behalf of all the IDS and Kjalåran men and women here, I welcome you to this Posteastan conference!” The corporate representative stood still for a few moments, basking in applause, before asking the dreaded query, “Any questions?”

by **Caracasus** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 12:30 pm

"Jorge Malovic - Caracasusian media commune Blades of grass before a storm. A quick question here regarding the legality of not only Construction Enterprises' actions but those of your host government in Kenmoria. Now, under international legislation on slavery and trafficking, forced labour is taken as - and I quote "any person to work, enter a work contract, or conform to terms of employment, which they have not freely agreed themselves or through a person they have freely appointed to represent them, through such means as abduction, coercion, deception, destitution, or fraud, or threats of such, to themselves or their families, including such acts as violence or criminal damage, or unlawful detention or eviction, shall be considered 'forced labour' and immediately prohibited in all nations;"."

"With this in mind, it would appear that the nation of Kenmoria is legally bound to investigate such claims. The wording of the document here is quite precise. Nations, note that is nations and not individual corporations or companies, are charged with taking part in a concerted diplomatic effort to end servitude, and to prevent areas having abandoned such from returning to such practices. We have more than enough evidence from multiple sources that suggests forced labour is not only taking place, it is taking place at the behest of Construction Enterprises. I stress of course that this is not the same as being found guilty, more that there is a weight of evidence that justifies at the very least a thorough investigation into the matter. There is also, and you'll forgive me if I check my notes here - oh yes, here we are a requirement for Nations to apply due scrutiny to such institutions as industries employing significant proportions of migrant workers, legal or commercial sex industries, industries employing minors, and their national organ donation systems, to identify catalysts to human trafficking, and to work, where necessary in concert with others, to eliminate such."

"Now rather unfortunately the penalties for companies relying on forced labour are very severe indeed. One clause dealing with this states that Goods produced, in whole or in part, through servitude shall be permanently embargoed, and all investment and material support to nations, legal entities and persons practicing servitude immediately ended, except as transition assistance or compensated manumission to free people from such conditions. I will of course leave it to the lawyers to define exactly how this is administered to a company such as yours. My question, if you'll forgive it is this."

"Why are we speaking to you, and where is the dedicated investigative team from the Kenmorian government? Why are we not asking questions of them as opposed to - and you'll forgive the term - a corporate mouthpiece? Does the Kenmorian government not take its duties to the international community seriously?"

by **Kenmoria** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 12:48 pm

The spokesperson wiped sweat from his brow, which was now hanging rather limply and as sodden as a piece of cloth thrown in a river. “What you raise is an interesting piece of legislation, General Assembly Resolution number twenty-three, Ban on Slavery and Trafficking, if I recall correctly. As it stands, Kenmoria, the host nation of Construction Enterprises, is not in the World Assembly, so is not bound by its mandates. Supposing an obligation of loyalty to a body that my country has never joined would be as ludicrous as the Francophone organisation Kenmoria is a part of requiring everyone to speak French.”

“However, I do acknowledge that Kenmoria does have a history of voluntarily following extant GA law as a matter of improving international affairs, and there are only three with which the nation does not. I call your attention to section three of the resolution you quoted, which states ‘The definition of ‘forced labour’ excludes: conscription or alternative required national service; prison labour or community service given as sentence in the course of a fair trial; required service of wartime prisoners of war and internees, in accordance with international law; required national emergency service; normal civic duties;’.”

“As I’m sure you agree, the situation in Posteastan is a national emergency, with people dying in the streets due to starvation and thirst. I thus call upon the contraction of certain workers as ‘national emergency service’, which is specifically exempted from the resolution. Therefore, there is no obligation from the Kenmorian government to intervene here, or fine my company any amounts of good or services produced.”

He had handled that well, mentioning the loophole. It was a similar loophole the government of Kenmoria employed to have such extreme and coercive contracts in place, though that relied on every citizen having the civic duty to uphold capitalist ideals and serve the community through corporate employment. The spokesperson grinned a smug grin, for he knew that this would make a very nice quote in the newspapers. That said, there were a few slightly more creative loopholes at play with GA law, and the man hoped that the Caracasusian spokesperson wouldn’t find them.

by **The World Capitalist Confederation** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 2:14 pm

have tried to do so.

"Alright, all of you, calm down. I have not come here to organise a party nor a bar fight. Now, first, you, the man in the military clothes. Are you some sort of general or pirate captain? Either way, introduce yourself." The Emperor said, angrily growling at the turmoil that had taken his great hall.

"My name is Serban Theodorescu. I came here on your invitation. I represent the north, free Posteastan so to speak. We are deserters, traitors and cowards. We have deserted a military commander who's only objective it was to keep a war going that was long lost and should not have been triggered in the first place. We betrayed a president who took his own people hostage and hoped that their suffering would force the international community to engage the Northern Alliance and we are afraid of dying for a cause that is not even ours. We don't care about politics, the international community or, no offence, you!"

"You have made a great mistake then, Theodeorescu. From me and the Director's investigations.." The Emperor replied, hinting towards the Director who stared at Theodeorescu and the others with dark and unforgiving eyes.
"..we find you to be one of the most appealing. Do not underestimate the Empire's power or influence. But in such harsh diplomacy and brash terms that I find the lack of appeal that members of the international community hark and lark to me day by day." The Emperor finished, creating a great shock by the end of his second sentence and, despite his strong soul, shaking Theodeorescu through the forked tongue that may had known him for.

The angry murmur in the room reached a level where the Emperor saw it necessary to slightly raise aneye brow. The murmur died down and the pirate continued.

"We care about the north, our families, and peace. We don't care about a king or a domnitor, Kolvce or the oligarchs. We took our weapons with us and we never gave them up. We have tanks, artillery, missiles, helicopters and everything else that is needed to entertain a prolonged campaign against the entire world. We have a bunker system build by paranoid dictators right into the massive mountains, we have fuel, we have money, medicine, tobacco and chocolate. But enough about that." He turns sideways to the other delegates.

"It is funny to see you fuckers all lined up in one room. It is a shame that I can't just shoot you. So, what is it we want? We want to be left alone. We want peace and we want the rest of Posteastan to either accept the facts we have established of go and fuck themselves. Seriously? We are not interested in anything at all. You sort your mess yourself, leave the north alone and make us a good offer once you are done killing each other. Once you have established who will ruin our nation further we have the following terms, we want full amnesty for everyone in the north for all possible crimes or offences that might have taken place after the election of the UGF. A new start for everyone. We want all foreign troops to leave and we want autonomy for laws, taxes and so on. Not independence but full autonomy. A federation, not a centralized state. And we when we can have it, they shall have it too. I don't care. We want a local police, local administration and stuff. We are not giving up our mines, our resources and our land. If we have guarantees for all these things we are willing to try and reintegrate ourselves into every society that accepts us. We will keep our armed forces for three terms of elections. The northern army will gradually become a police force over these years and will be finally dissolved. Outside support is always fine. I have been a soldier for most of my life but we don't really want recognition. We need weapons, supplies and ammo, spare parts and so on. But we are not willing to fight. That is why we deserted in the first place. We are not interested in conquering the rest of Posteastan. We have a comfortable life in the north. What we would like is a shield against outside aggression and pressure on the other groups to give in to our demands. Everybody willing to negotiate is always welcome. Autonomy and total amnesty are nonnegotiable. We can talk about the rest."

The Emperor thought about the words of the Pirate, replying: "How would you like all of Posteastan then? We have put governments such as yours in power before, look at "President" Aguilias in the former Chandes Republic or Voeder Kampden in the very rebellious Hope State, named after the Southern Hope. As you know, I have no care for ideology or for morality except when it is my own and of my nation. Outside of ensuring my citizens have the best standard of morality and security as is within my power, I couldn't give, and as you people would put it "a rat's ass" about it. Now go off." His words, yet again, combined with his eyebrows sinking lower, made the man fear, as his eyes began to glow red, both in the metaphorical sense and in the literal sense, as his blood began to boil at the man's audacity.

For no particular reason the name Colonel Kurtz appeared in his mind. His eyes wandered along the delegates and he pointed at a man in a cheap suit. Cheap at least for his standards. "Now, you, over there, in the suit that looks like the one from that Victorian show with the young boy who steals bread for a living." The Emperor clapped his hands, as the entire room, except the man laughed at his joke/insult

The man raised his eyebrows but did not complain. "Vergin Tavitian, representative of Posteastan." He began his speech before it was drowned in a wave of protest. This time the Emperor was forced to raise his hand and Tavitian could continue.

"I represent the people of Posteastan. I alone. I mean we, we alone. Under the most difficult of circumstances we organized free and fair elections. Let me remind you of the facts, the People's Chamber is the only elected body in all of Posteastan. Our mission is to unify our people and return our home to its former glory. We are the only legitimate government in Posteastan for a whole array of reasons. First and foremost, we are elected by the people. Second, but equally important we are not the puppets of foreign powers. We are the true people of Posteastan. We are free and we have no one but the people to tell us what to do. The third reason is that we have never betrayed our oath, our fatherland and our people. We always stood behind Tavitian and today we honor his legacy. We are no longer the UGF and we will not repeat their mistakes but we are proud of what Tavitian did for his people and we will not bow to any foreign power. We have never accepted the terms of the Northern Alliance and we don't need foreign troops to organize our resistance. What the People's Chamber wants is peace and reconciliation. We offered open talks and a place in the elections to everybody. The Royalists have refused to participate in elections. They want a totalitarian dictatorship with no freedoms at all. We will hold a referendum on the future of Posteastan. The people shall determinate themselves what kind of head of state they want. If the Royalists had joined forces with us we could have easily put a king on the list but that ship is long sailed now. The Royalists are the only ones who have not send a delegate to this summit. That alone proves that they are unwilling and unable to look for other ways than to turn Posteastan into a death camp of permanent civil war. The Royalists have next to no backing outside Leozina city. If they had, they would have agreed to our peace treaty. They are completely dependent on foreign powers, just like the dictator in Telinburg. They can never extend their reach past Telin Province because the heroic people of Posteastan will resist them. Their mass murder of intellectuals speaks for itself. In Telin people get shot just because they can read a book or own a porcelain elephant, while the Sakala Syndicate is free to operate as it pleases. That is not a way a proper government behaves, that is plain and simple worse than the Sakala ever was. That brings me to the fourth reason why there is only one legitimate government in Posteastan. All areas under control of the People's Chamber are free from Syndicate activity. Where we stand, there is no room for Sakala. Where we stand law and order prevail." He forms his fingers to a gun and points at the delegate from the Sakala Crime Syndicate.

"Ahh, law and order, the two most volatile - and precious - things. Where would we be without the diamond vase that is law and order? I quite frankly like your sentiment there, Taviatan. You seem like a man who would not only make a good orator, but also a good leader." The Emperor replied, to the angry shrieks of those in the room.

"And trust me, we will get to you once we drive the Royalists, who protect you so eagerly, out. We will destroy your bases in the Renegade territory and we will kill every last one of you." He takes a deep breath, pointing to the SCS representative.

"Our vision of the future is a united Posteastan. There will be no peace without justice. The Royalists will hang for their crimes, the Renegades will be punished for their betrayal, the cartels will be annihilated and those in Telinburg who forced war and occupation upon us will pay for their sins. It is no longer a question whether we win or not but only how long it takes. More and more nations are supporting us. Look at the recent air strikes against Roztechko. I am not at the liberty to name our allies behind this operation but rest assured that was only a warning shot. I regret the loss of live but this was a military airport in a war zone. A target as legitimate as they can be. Be warned that more of these strikes will follow shortly. We will renegotiate all trade deals and we will re-arm Posteastan, rebuild our army, air force and navy and we will stop all payments to the Northern Alliance once we have liberated all of Posteastan."

Apparently Oliver Twist had finished. The Emperor was pleased, smiling throughout his speech as he heard the words of a man he truly quite liked. He then said, as the Director whispered in his ear: "You there, I think you've made the shortlist. I'll call you up soon."

"You there, Rasputin!" He said and pointed at a bearded man. "Your turn."

"Your Majesty" began the man with a deep bow. "I represent the New Moralist Party. We are a political party with no military personnel. We want peace before all else. We have some seats in the People's Chamber, the legitimate government of Posteastan. We have made mistakes in the past but we have now returned to the official church. We want a spiritual renaissance for Posteastan and a national awaking. We…"

"For people so spiritual and strong-willed, where is your army? There is no God, and he cannot save you." He replied, spitting at the man as he thought his religion to be delusional.

With a wave of his hand the Emperor interrupted Rasputin. He had heard enough. He pointed at a man wearing a uniform. "You!"

"Your Highness." The man in uniform gave a symbolic bow. "Captain Voitec, National Guard. At your service. I represent the government and to be plain, we do don't need any military support. We have 30,000 Kjalåran warriors backing our cause." The words were not without impact. Raised eyebrows and dropping jaws where as much the result as a continued murmur and surprised talks among the other delegates. Only Yngvarr Bruhn the Jomsvikingar's delegate stood there in silence and smiled.

"Thirty thousand of our kinsmen – and women." He interrupted Voitec, still smiling. "That is indeed more than enough to crush all opposing forces in Posteastan and annex all neighboring countries while you are at it. Congratulations, captain the Gods have blessed your cause. Have you practiced hailing Queen Tove?"

Voitec shook his head. "Your Highness may I continue?" He asked but his voice was not as sure as it had been seconds before. The Emperor nodded and Bruhn smiled in silence.

"As the rightful government, we need your political support. And maybe a bit of military backing. To be honest, we want all foreign troops out of Posteastan. Including…" he looked at Bruhn as he spoke. "Including the Kjalårans. We want the guns to disappear from our politics and we want a peace keeping force of nations that recognize our authority. We will honor our international contracts and pay the compensations resulting from the criminal actions of the UGF and their predecessors. We will only keep a small National Guard and we are willing to include enemy combatants in this force if they are willing to surrender. We will never agree to a partition of Posteastan. And keep in mind my friends that we make this offer of peace and reconciliation not from a position of weakness but from a position of certainly winning this war and destroying all other groups in the process. You have nothing that can stop the Kjalårans. Nothing!"

"As I have said to the half-pirate half-madman over there, one cannot underestimate the power of the Empire. Our conventional forces alone number in the hundreds of thousands. We are powerful. We are strong. I have seen that Queen before and she does not scare me. Your words sound more you've come in here to spit in my eye rather than speak and pleading your case. Continue." The Emperor slammed his fist, angry at this man who dare so be dismissive of the Empire.

"We came here as friends. We came here to fight for Posteastan but we were betrayed. Stabbed in the back! We want what is rightfully ours. We want our money! And we will take it. Some of us have a comfortable life as warlords now, others just want to go home. Most of us think that once the reaver queen has annexed Posteastan she will need loyal servants willing to rule that shithole for her. We will fight for anyone who pays us but we will also make Valaska pay for his betrayal. He stabbed us in the back and he betrayed the people of Posteastan. Other than that, we are open for negotiations. Oh, and before I forget to mention it, 30,000 of our brothers and sisters just landed in Posteastan. We are in contact with them for quite some time now."

There was silence and the Emperor looked at the men again. He pointed at the one wearing a black uniform with a silver sun cross on it. Words were not necessary, the man in the black uniform just gave a nod.

"Horia Ionescu!" The men bellowed and snapped his heels. "Patriotic Block! Elected member of the People's Chamber and speaker for the Domnitor. Our position should be clear by now. We are elected representatives of the people. We will restore Posteastan to glory and we will strengthen our nation. We will bring the traitors to justice and we are the ones who started the resistance. We have agreed to peace and power sharing but there will be no room for traitors in the new Posteastan. We let the Tavitian party handle the economy. We support their idea of class-cooperation and unity of the people. Our objective is the military victory over the traitors and the invaders. I wish to use this opportunity to congratulate Nina Neacsu on her first victory. She has more dignity and honor than Valaska ever had. Breaking the blockade and ignoring the demands of the international community was a good step forward towards a normal Posteastan that is respected as equal among others. Ousting the Allaneas was another good move. No more international investigators on our sacred land, no more blockades and no more regulations. We are a proud people and we will be an armed people soon. Your Highness, someone will have to sell us the weapons we will need, and here I am talking about ships and fighter jets and not about some rifles and grenades."

Again, the Emperor nodded. It was a short speech but he had all the information he needed, thinking of all the profit that could be gained...

The next person spoke without invitation. "I try to explain the ideas of the Shuka Movement. We want peace most of all. If the fascists withdraw from our territory we can negotiate an armistice but not before. We want autonomy and if the fascists are to be rewarded with any kind of political power in Posteastan we will declare full independence. We don't claim to represent more people than our movement and we don't pretend to be elected, but neither is anybody else. The scam elections are a joke. No one takes that serious. Not only did they not represent enough people but you just need to have a look at the parties which could participate. That should be enough. A joke, like I said. We are willing to talk to anybody who is not occupying parts of Kolvce. That is the only thing you need to do. We will keep on resisting and we are confident that we will drive the fascists back in the next few days."

"Anything else?" The Emperor asked but there was no reply so he decided to let the last man speak. "You there, the Accountant, you have the word." He pointed at a man in a business suit, holding a briefcase who looked very much like an accountant.

"I'm not the Accountant." Said the man. Slowly raising his briefcase he added "I'm the Brief. The Accountant died in a car bomb incident. " The Emperor rolled his eyes. He was no longer sure if he would really want to get involved in Posteastan. The Brief did not care.

"I represent the Sakala Company. Businessmen like you. We share a lot of interests and we have the same ideology. My clients wish to have an open society with business opportunities for all, low taxes and not too much involvement from the state. What we need the most at the moment is an end of all military operations against us. We have money and men and we will lend those to all who are willing to accept the Sakala as a political movement and guarantee us some seats in parliament. We want our fortune to be legalized and we want our share in the state. These demands are moderate, I know, but right now peace is more important than anything else. It is time to set our difficulties aside and move on to a future together."

"I didn't need to hear a piece of old McGrovester's speeches. He was an old ally of mine, but he was against my coronation. Some people just aren't loyal." He replied to the man, mostly dismissing him as he had nothing to say in terms of offers, only rhetoric.

"Thank you all. I will be discussing this with the cabinet shortly." He dismissed them all, pointing to the buffet, dance hall and such.

"So, Director, what do you believe is appropriate next? I am capable of making a decision, but you are wise in these manners." The Emperor spoke to the Director.

"I believe, your highness, that the correct course of action is to follow up with the Posteastan person who didn't specify his allegiance, to see what we could do. He is not only the most viable option but also the best one." The Director replied.

"Thank you, Director, as always, you are good in your wisdom." The Emperor said back.

Co-Written by Posteastan

by **Danlina** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 2:41 pm

City Phone Line Center, Roztechko
Logistics were quite simple, as was the task. Four men get inside of the facility with fake IDs, one sits in the truck and makes sure communications are intact, and one sniper on the rooftop of a nearby building in case things go south. As mentioned, the task isn’t too complex either. Getting in, giving proof the infiltration was successful, make sure they have the means to get back whenever they want and get out.
The four men tasked with the infiltration itself were four of the Wright agents. As expected, they work was professional.
As they expected, they were asked to show their ID cards when getting inside the facility. After successfully getting through security, the four headed straight to the server room. The lock was surprisingly easy to pick, and so they got in. One waited outside the room, keeping an eye out and with his hand ready to pull the trigger of a small hidden SMG in his bag.
Another one of the men opened a watch. “300”, he started counting backwards. The other two had five minutes to study the room before anyone noticed there are unauthorized personnel in the server room. As they felt they knew the room well enough, the man with the watch got to 107. The three took a selfie showing they are standing in the server room, and quickly joined the fourth one who was waiting outside and got out without alarming anyone.
The four got to the truck, where they used a cellphone that was disconnected from its gps device to open a new email address and use it to send the photo to Nizhinsky, with the caption “no one knows we did it, and we can do it over and over again if the mission demands so”.

by **Cat-Herders United** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 10:50 pm

In spite of being the political capital of Cat-Herders United, El Pueblo Unido was usually a sleepy pastoral town where cats easily outnumbered the less than a million human inhabitants of the whole metropolitan area. But tonight there was a nervous energy in the air. It was obvious that something was up. Reporters gathered at the usual watering holes to hunt for quotes, but nobody knew anything, and if anyone did know, they weren’t talking. It remains to be seen how long any secret can be kept in this town.

by **Lux Pulchrae** » Thu Mar 21, 2019 1:17 am

Leozina
Patrols have been ramping up lately, reports of enemy forces in different directions and firefights with northern raiders left everyone on their toes, all were on high alert, checkpoints were extra scrutinous. They wouldn't ask a question without a gun to your face, especially strangers. A little extreme, but necessary. An APC patrol was just leaving the site accompanied by jeeps.

Major Giornada sat with his captains, processing all reports and encounters with enemy fire, planning their next moves. The Major sat with his head in his hands, hoping his uncle would come back soon. He was a man that followed orders, not giving them. He wasn't a planner. He just came to point and shoot, but his time to step up was now. Then a letter came in. It was from the Nationalists.

"FUCK!" he shouted, the captains looked over to him "Reports have been confirmed. Raids in the north and now apparently we've gone soft and someone has not been telling me of these convoys that have been smuggling weapons and machinery into Kolvce! And now we have to deal with that! I want ALL roadway leading to that province blocked! BLOCKED! I want the river too, no boat passes without clearance. Every boat must dock in Leozina and go through screening. I don't care if it's a boat full of hungry orphans or puppies for cancered patients. No boat goes without permission! Enforced by machine gun turrets. Blockade the river and strap a gun to a canoe if you have to. And someone get me Rasvan Luca now!"

Within minutes the orders were being carried out, men from the ranks were being gathered and grouped into their own companies. 100 Lux Pulchraean soldiers were chosen to go to handle to Kolvce supply routes along with 50 militiamen. They were loaded into a convoy, it was led by three APCs and the rest being carried in trucks with supply trucks also in tow. The APC were capable of holding 12 men, with one as driver and one as gunner. This group made up "Compagnia Alfa"

Next was a grouping of 150 more men with an added 50 militiamen. This was dubbed "Compagnia Primo".

"Captain Matteo." Giornada called, the captain went over quickly

"Yes Major?"

"You're going to roll with these men over to the north of the province, settle this raider issue. I'll try to get this Remus Balan to help in the effort. They're nationalists so I hardly doubt our alignments differ. If anything we can probably join up. After all, we're monarchists and nationalist. No reason this merda country can't do the same. I also want you to take some of the "Moralists", maybe twenty, twenty-five. They wanna kill women? How about killing some men for a change. They can lead the convoy north by marching on foot. Have them armed and ready within the hour, even if it's just a baseball bat, clear?" luckily, over the past weeks the planes have been flying in more and more guns that by this time the Royalists almost had a surplus of firearms.

"Yes Sir!" the captain saluted and went off with some others to collect any able-bodied men to join the company and mobilize.

A jeep pulled up and out came Rasvan Luca. "Signore Luca!" he greeted the administrator with a salute, Luca returning it in favor. "I don't think I've seen you in a while, nor have you met me. I am Major Luglio Giornada, nephew to Lieutenant Colonel d'Umbra. He's away at some conference so I have taken charge. At this present time, I've taken executive measures to mobilize both Lux Pulchrae and Royalist Militia forces. A strong convoy of one-hundred-fifty men is headed to block any and all supplies attempting to reach Kolvce. Another company of two-hundred is being formed and will be headed to the north. This is why I have summoned you. I want you to get me in contact with Remus Balan and convince him to support our men with bringing order back to the north. I cannot have this go through courier with letters like a schoolgirl. I want immediate and constant contact, have him meet us in person if possible. I would really appreciate if you would make the call. After I mobilize the troops I will meet you at the hotel, and I expect someone from Orikson to be on the other end. You are dismissed."

All the troops for "Compagnia Primo" were armed and ready. Four APCs were assigned to this company, with Matteo taking the lead vehicle, the rest boarded and piled onto the back of the trucks. Twenty-five Moralists were conscripted and did as ordered, taking marching lead of the convoy marching on foot.

Beretta ARX160, standard rifle of Lux Pulchraean infantry soldiers

Convoys heading out. Typical convoy that heading towards Kolvce border and the north

APC provided to the Royalists

Convoy met with a farewell before heading out

The Kingdom of Lux Pulchrae and Amaglione

Sir Alexander Bardi-de Leu,

I write this letter as a notice, a day before my arrival. I will be heading to Great Nortend to meet with you and discuss further on the prospect of a Kingly Posteastan. Direct personal discussion is always preferable to technological or archaic mean. I hope and pray to see you soon.

Signed,
Cleone d'Angeli IV, King of Lux Pulchrae and Amaglione.

Villi
Guards stood infront of the delegates, blocking any further pelting of projectiles. The two looked to each other, Gentile had a smirk on his face, while d'Umbra had settled to a more serious and annoyed tone. The grand minister noticed all the food being thrown and commented "Wow, these people better be careful. They're throwing all of next year's food supply at us." This caused d'Umbra's serious expression to change into a grin.

The Lux Pulchraeans watched as a man came up to the crowd, and unholstered a revolver, the guards all put there hands on the pistols, cocking them before they were even taken out. "Alto!" one of them commanded. They continued to observe as the man handed it to one of the protesters. The protester had a hesitant look in his eyes and nodded his head negatively. Slowly the protesters dispersed.

The man faced the delegation, holstering his weapon. One of the guards kept a hand on his weapon. “We've got a truck coming that'll take you to the ferry. From there, it's a pretty short walk to the airfield. Our lot have let your lot know to expect you. I'd advise you go get a shower, but frankly that's up to you isn't it?”

Gentile stepped out from behind the wall of guards "Giani Gentile, Grand Minister of Foreign Affairs. You are?" he extended his hand.

D'Umbra stepped out from the side to make another crack "Would you like to take our stained uniforms first? They still have next year's harvest on them." he walked over, ending next to Gentile, ordering his men to go clean up and put on fresh sets of uniforms, they abided and went back inside.

by **Kaystein** » Thu Mar 21, 2019 11:26 pm

OOC post here: viewtopic.php?p=35471048#p35471048

Author's Note: This is a planned story, meaning that anybody reading what's in this box won't be able to directly influence what happens to any of the characters/setting, etc. It's meant to be a short, enjoyable read. That said, let's get right into it.

Costel was in trouble.

Lights flashed through the pitch darkness, too many for him to discern individual people. Screams from the enemy and his own squad replaced the nightlife around him, and Costel lay prone in the center of the chaos, unlucky enough to face off against the world's most aggressive insects. Each time one bit him it felt like a lump of red hot coal being pushed against his body.

Nearby, a blood-curdling cry made his blood run cold with its familiarity. Another teammate had been gunned down it seemed, and glancing off to his side Costel could confirm one of his partners now lay motionless in the field of grass with him and the living remnants of his squad.

This was it. This was where he was going to die. He had so much left to live for and experience and it was all going to waste now. It was all he could do to whimper and squeeze his eyes shut.

"Costel, wake up!" A hand clapped against the back of his head, waking Costel from his stupor. His best Friend, Franklin, lay beside Costel giving him a concerned look. "Are you shot, brother?"

"N-No" Costel pushed through his teeth "but I'm g-getting eaten alive!" Costel shook one arm for emphasis, visibly shaking off some of the offending critters.

"We're in hell's icebox, and you're frozen food for ants!" Franklin shook his head as he laughed. "Man, I didn't see my night going this way."

Bullets cut through the grass around them once more, prompting them both to lay flat. Costel trained his weapon where he caught several brief flashes of light, letting off several bursts of gunfire in retaliation to the offending flashes. Franklin added to Costel's fire with his own. Costel was rewarded by hearing several shrill screams come back his way.

An explosion nearby sent dirt flying on top of Costel. "Shit, mortars!" Franklin cried with a hand over his helmet.

Costel flinched from the pressure wave, knocking off some insects and sending the last remaining ones scurrying off Costel for safety. He still lay frozen in place though, desperately trying to think of what to do. Another explosion went off, making Costel draw in on himself reflexively. Costel's senses dimmed, overcome by a mix of pain and fear.

A voice nearby called for a retreat. Costel could barely make out the sense of the wording, but when he tried his shivering body refused to move.

Franklin shot up beside him, gripping Costel's sweat-soaked jacket with one hand, hauling him up onto weak knees. Franklin shouted something at him, but the words were muted. Costel stared at him. "What?" he shouted in question.

"Run you fool!" Franklin screamed back as he began to move with what remained of their allies, nearly dragging Costel along behind him. Costel stumbled a few steps as his sense once again slammed back into place. Disoriented, Costel turned around toward the enemy again and wished he hadn't.

Even with the blackness, the veritable wall of bodies charging toward his position was unmistakable. Costel gasped, spun back around and took off. More bullets replaced the spot where he had been, tearing apart the earth into chunks.

Costel managed to eventually gain back up to his side's rout, as they now tried desperately to stay ahead of the pursuing horde. Costel joined some of his fellow men in occasionally returning fire, as though futilely attempting to keep them at bay. It was during one of this brief seconds in his panicked retreated that Costel stopped to turn by the sloped face of a ravine, aiming at somebody within a stone's throw from him. He pulled the trigger of his gun.

It clicked.

Costel gasped.

The enemy raised their weapon in response.

Costel backed up, dropping his rifle and reaching for his sidearm. Hands shaking, fumbling with his holster. Something hitting his body stopped him, sending pain lancing through his entire form and making him gasp before he looked back at his assailant.

Seeing the figure with their weapon raised at him Costel glanced down, seeing red spread down the side of his chest. Gagging, he brought one hand up to his chest, searching for a puncture wound.

A second round hit him, the force of it pushing him off solid ground and into the ravine behind. Costel was sent tumbling down, hitting branches and veins that cut and tugged at him as he passed. Costel couldn't feel much and tasted blood in his mouth. His head impacted the trunk of a tree, and the world went black.

by **Cat-Herders United** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 12:55 am

To: the Danlinan Economical Branch
From: Office of the President
Encryption: HIGH

Of course we welcome all assistance to our humanitarian aims in the Kolvce area. We are excited to work with our Danlinan comrades!

However we urge you to reconsider the withdrawal of your naval assets from the area. The situation is getting more and more violent on the ground, even aid workers are in danger. Not only did the recent missile strike kill and injur many aid workers (and destroy thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies), but now the lawless bandit forces are detaining shipments that are going via the river.

Besides showing a downright sociopathic indifference to the suffering of those they deem racially inferior and a flagrant violation of international norms regarding humanitarian shipments, this action also means that aid going to Kolvce would need to arrive via air to the few rickety airstrips available in non-occupied Kolvce. I fear that this would slow the flow of materials down to a trickle.

I have come to realize that military assets will be needed in the area, whether to evacuate refugees and aid workers, or simply to act as a show of force or deterrent. I am working towards an increased buildup of our own navy near Posteastan. Unfortunately, cat-herders are not traditionally inclined towards sea power, we excell in defending our land rather than projecting power.

As authorized by secret resolution of the assembly, I hereby humbly and officially request cooperation between our governments in the matter of logistics to Kolvce, both in terms of moving material to Kolvce and of deploying military assets to the region.

Sincerely,

Catniss Mesteñero
President
Cat-Herders United

by **Danlina** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 1:41 am

OFFICIAL TELEGRAM

Topic: Aiding Kolvce Free State

from: The Danlina Economical Branch
Encryption: high

To The Office Of President Mesteñero, Cat Herders United,
I am glad you are open to my offer, I ensure you that I can help you with whatever you need at the moment. Unfortunately, the navy has been drawn out of Posteastani waters, but I will be making an appeal to the Legislative Branch to classify the Posteastani conflict as a high-profile case so it is easier to move troops into the area. I am also pulling some strings to make sure that our humanitarian aid shipments will be well protected when going through the river to reach Kolvce. We, too, hope that the opening of the new embassy and consulates will strengthen our relations along the line.

Best Regards,
Franklin Logan, Minister Of The Danlina Economical Branch

by **Caracasus** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 2:44 am

The supernatural doesn't exist. Or rather it exists only as a comforting story that we tell to distance ourselves from the true reality of our situation. Sure, the royal family of Posteastan suffered from a range of inherited health conditions; anaemia, porphyria, haemophilia... coupled with the rather strange behaviour of most royal families of the first continent it's no wonder that legends of vampires began to attach themselves; reborn as the Count and his descendents.

It's always been with us. The tales of the not-quite human things that lurk in the shadows. From the ape-men of the Quoris jungles – likely oral history of other sapiens passed down through tens of thousands of years – to the Djinn of Balagan and their city of brass. They've stayed with us, these myths. The nature of them remains the same, but the things themselves change. Now we have genetic experiments gone wrong, we have grey suited men in grey helicopters, we have aliens from other worlds. Just like the myths of our anscestors these two have perfectly rational explainations. Ergot poisoning, mass hysteria, prototype aircraft or swamp gas... There is always an explanation.

And even if these lurking horrors did exist, what exactly could they accomplish? What act of great evil could they put into motion that we haven't done to ourselves? Here, I can show you a man who signs a piece of paper each day. A list of names of those to be arrested and held without trial awaiting summary execution for some invented crime to the state. There is an accountant. Watch as they work out how to make a small profit off of selling toxic overflow from the bottling plant to local farmers as fertilizer. If we look here we can see two million souls crammed into a space with the population density of a major metropolitan city without any adequate sanitation, healthcare or food. A book is written decrying whole swathes of humanity as vermin and it is eagerly acted upon. A missile is built that carries a bomb capable of destroying an entire city. In the jungles, men are trained to mutilate and kill to ensure that the flow of profits to colonial masters remains undisturbed. A woman runs a house and is known as an angel maker. She takes babies from prostitutes forced to walk the streets and smothers them for a small fee. Everyone from the magistrate down knows this happens. A soldier fires a weapon that costs more than she will make in a year at people who won't make that in a lifetime and we watch it on the evening news as entertainment. Teenagers are strapped with explosives and sent to die and kill. A state dangles resources that everyone should have access to to tempt the poor and desperate into going overseas to kill and die. What could these supernatural horrors possibly do to us that we've not been cheerfully doing to each other all along?

So no, there is no supernatural at work. There are no monsters under the bed. They're all in broad daylight and they wear exactly the same face as we do. Now, go back to sleep.

Rail Tunnel – Northern Posteastan

They'd uncovered the carriages with ease, pulling back tarpaulin to uncover windows thick with grime and spiderweb. The great engine stood, rusted slightly to the tracks. In the morning a truck winch would arrive and they would attempt to shift the thing, until then an engineer busied herself checking the beast's innards. It was not as badly corroded as they had feared, but was in a worse condition than they had hoped. It would be weeks before it was ready for use.

They'd set up great floodlights, wires snaking this way and that through the tunnel to the generators. They cast terrible shadows in the harsh white light, picking out all manner of deamons and monsters on the walls and ceilings. Soot fell at regular intervals, lightly dusting everything it touched. Machine oil gummed and sticky, clinging to boots and clothes.

The last carriage had stopped them. This one had no windows. Great thick iron panels had been spot welded into place over them. The door reinforced steel, one single giant bolt holding it firmly shut from the outside.

Work had stopped, almost instantly. They'd waited outside for reinforcements, watched as the riders came trotting up the hill. Twelve horses bearing soldiers, though they'd had to dismount. The horses would not come within a hundred yards of the entrance. Two soldiers made sure they were properly hitched to trees before dismounting and quietly following their comrades inside.

The great vaulted ceiling echoing their bootsteps.

They'd done what they could. The carriage had been secured on the outside. A few hours' work had seen bricks and rubble piled high, forming a defensive barricade surrounding the doorway to the carriage. A rough semicircle that allowed the soldiers to direct their fire straight at the open door.

Most of the floodlights had been similarly directed. The door blazed black silver in the harsh light. Two busied themselves connecting a series of speakers to the generator, one soldier with his finger hovering over the play button.

Kjoll crept up to the doorway and set the thermite charges, running quickly back. For this, he'd abandoned his rifle and carried – as did most of the others – a shotgun. The shells they used were expensive, hard to find and rather illegal in most countries. He checked the chamber and briefly took in Keynes and the others. In the shadows they appeared hunched over and peering through the makeshift fortifications. Almost like gargoyles.

The thermite burned bright and greedily ate through the heavy steel bolt. It hissed and cracked until the bolt bent, then with a great clang broke apart. The soldier with his finger on the play button took a deep breath.

The door very gently opened....

Villi Island

Javvid frowned slightly. "Oh, yes - well they probably wouldn't be forwarding messages to you now. I'm Javvid. Part of the Civil Defense Committee for Villi Island and Internal Security official. By all means go change your uniforms. The truck should be here in a bit."

The men went inside. The very last of the protesters either busied themselves cleaning up the tomatoes or simply slunk off into the town. Javvid really did not know what to make of it, Villi Island was simply so remote, so small, that something like this would quickly become part of local folklore. He wondered briefly how he would be remembered in it. It was unlikely, but slightly possible, that the current of public opinion would turn against him somewhat. That he'd be voted out of his position. It'd mean finding a new role, some new way he could contribute to the communes. Still, that train of thought wasn't worth entertaining much.

The truck pulled up. The others had gotten his message. A younger man and an older woman, both also wearing the armbands that marked them as IntSec sat in the back, one carrying a shotgun. The truck was the usual Caracasusian mix of old and new. The chassis and bodywork must have dated from the days when Caracasusian automobiles were found on practically every road in Forest. The engine however had been replaced. No more internal combustion, the almost silent electric motor propelled the thing. Two heavy lumps of concrete had to be placed at points within the vehicle to offset the much lighter electric engine. One side was adorned with paintings of flowers and stars, the other showed a figure from Caracasusian mythology brandishing a fishing spear. Because the universe loves irony and strange coincidence far more than fiction does, the young woman who had asked the delegation to put in their fair share of the work back at the commune had also been the one responsible for painting the truck. The universe may have a sense of humour, but it doesn't have to be a good one.

Javvid waited for the men to finish changing. The drive would take little under half an hour.

Construction Enterprises Press Conference

"Interesting. So there's no doubt then that Construction Enterprises is making use of forced labour. I am very glad that has been cleared up for our readers. I do however have some follow up questions. When exactly did Construction Enterprises gain the responsibility from the Posteastan government to impress people into service?"

"Additionally, impressed national emergency labour usually deals with issues of immediate assistance. We would think I imagine of those digging sanitation ditches, repairing water mains or wells or perhaps even growing crops. From what I have seen, Construction Enterprises seems mostly concerned with the building of prisons and precinct houses. Not to mention the construction of telecommunications networks. Now, this very much appears to be the construction of state apparatus designed to control and coerce a population, not to ensure the population has access to the basic amenities needed to sustain life."

"And of course we must examine the methods used for coercion. What methods are these exactly? Abduction, coercion, deception, destitution, or fraud, or threats of such, to themselves or their families, including such acts as violence or criminal damage, or unlawful detention or eviction are codified in the definition of forced labour and there is plenty of evidence to suggest all of these are currently in force. So which method does Construction Enterprises prefer?"

"Unfortunately I believe the Boani World Assembly delegation was unsuccessful in codifying corporate personhood. This leaves the question of responsibility for these actions if... or when they reach the attention of anyone with the will or power to do something about it rather up in the air. I imagine that Construction Enterprises will likely pick someone visible, a human face of Construction Enterprises I guess, someone who could be considered responsible for enacting these measures. Tell me, what are your plans for when the proverbial hits the fan and they throw you under the bus? And if this does go higher, if the weight of global opinion calls for actual response and accountability, how do your shareholders and executives feel about potentially sharing cells in prisons you yourselves created?"

by **Allanea** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 7:36 am

Operation Gordian Knot, Allanea

The port was alive with the sound of dozens of engines, and the once-pure sea air was now infused with the smell of diesel fuel as dozens of trucks were streaking towards the dockyards. Here, four ships waited, with their vehicle ramps already unfolded. Dozens of military trucks, sourced from the emergency stockpiles of the Capitalist International, were maneuvering themselves through the shipyards, in passages where myriads of shipping containers had been stacked together. Overhead, cranes rotated, swinging colorful shipping containers to the ships' top decks. With every minute, the colorful stacks of containers seemed to grow taller and taller.

From the control tower where General Anastasia Mikhailova stood, the trucks seemed tiny, like those in a child's toy playset, and their drivers' cabins gleamed in the sun in those few moments in which their windshields were turned towards Mikhailova.

The Emergency Response Command officer knew that the complex dance she saw before her here was only the end expression of a chain of soldiers and workers spread out over dozens of miles, to the caves at the bottom of Mt. Franklin, where, in cold underground tunnels, packages of supplies had been stored, waiting for the hour in which they would be needed.

Now indeed they would come forth. Polished, dark-green boxes the size of a shipping container, each a small power plant to bring light to a neighborhood of thousands. Coils of electric cable and phone cable, stacked one on top of each other, to carry light and speech over hundreds of miles. Food, too – cans of preserved meat in yellow metal casings with red stickers, plastic packages of sugar, chocolate bars. In refrigerated containers, beef and pork compressed into frozen blocks lay by the dozens of tons.

The crane rotated, swinging about another container. Each one would mean hope, perhaps salvation, for hundreds of families.

On Allanean propaganda, wartime poverty had its own face – an evil, desiccated hag, named Razrukha, Devastation. Here the ships were loading ammunition of a sort – to fire at that hag.

The ring of a ship's horn carried over the water, clear and pure. One of the four ships was done loading.

Operation Gordian Knot, Posteastan

Deep within Posteastan – on small, local airfields chosen exactly for being located in the poorest, saddest, areas of the countries, those most ravaged by the years of fighting – the small cargo planes began to set down.

They carried very few supplies, but then they didn't need to carry very many. A small team of soldiers would dig emplacements to protect the supplies, and a few men would set up a booth to hand them out, and another one to handle refugees.

Thus, the logistics would be simple. An arriving Posteastani would be photographed, his name would be written down, and soon enough he'd be given a plastic ID card with his name on it – and a bank note, which would buy a few days' worth of food. Naturally, a person could not claim another bank note that same day, although his children and relatives could. Naturally, also, there would be some undesired economic effects on food prices in the short term – but in the short term, what mattered is that these people would not starved.

Further, each plane would leave Posteastan carrying about a hundred refugees. In a very meaningful way, this would have its own effect on the prices of food, removing a hundred consumers from the local market – and a hundred people from the reach of gangs.

It could be said that a country like Posteastan was like an onion, with hundreds of layers of problems, misery, disease and violence layered on top of each other.

Allaneans were never big on peeling onions.

What their plan was, instead, was a sharp knife.

by **Allanea** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 7:53 am

Kenmoria wrote:The spokesperson wiped sweat from his brow, which was now hanging rather limply and as sodden as a piece of cloth thrown in a river. “What you raise is an interesting piece of legislation, General Assembly Resolution number twenty-three, Ban on Slavery and Trafficking, if I recall correctly. As it stands, Kenmoria, the host nation of Construction Enterprises, is not in the World Assembly, so is not bound by its mandates. Supposing an obligation of loyalty to a body that my country has never joined would be as ludicrous as the Francophone organisation Kenmoria is a part of requiring everyone to speak French.”

“However, I do acknowledge that Kenmoria does have a history of voluntarily following extant GA law as a matter of improving international affairs, and there are only three with which the nation does not. I call your attention to section three of the resolution you quoted, which states ‘The definition of ‘forced labour’ excludes: conscription or alternative required national service; prison labour or community service given as sentence in the course of a fair trial; required service of wartime prisoners of war and internees, in accordance with international law; required national emergency service; normal civic duties;’.”

“As I’m sure you agree, the situation in Posteastan is a national emergency, with people dying in the streets due to starvation and thirst. I thus call upon the contraction of certain workers as ‘national emergency service’, which is specifically exempted from the resolution. Therefore, there is no obligation from the Kenmorian government to intervene here, or fine my company any amounts of good or services produced.”

He had handled that well, mentioning the loophole. It was a similar loophole the government of Kenmoria employed to have such extreme and coercive contracts in place, though that relied on every citizen having the civic duty to uphold capitalist ideals and serve the community through corporate employment. The spokesperson grinned a smug grin, for he knew that this would make a very nice quote in the newspapers. That said, there were a few slightly more creative loopholes at play with GA law, and the man hoped that the Caracasusian spokesperson wouldn’t find them.

"To be clear, the Free Kingdom is not, and hopefully never will be", - the Allanean commenced, "a member of the World Assembly or any such body. Our opposition to slavery is of course based on simpler ideas." – he paused "But I suppose to discuss international affairs philosophy is somewhat above your pay grade. Let us suppose, momentarily and purely for the purpose of this argument, that we care about so-called World Assembly law. Suppose momentarily that we agreed that enlisting people, against their will, to work free of charge for private corporations, is not slavery. Even then, there are problems."

"Now, to be clear, the Free Kingdom of Allanea rejects, and has rejected on previous occasions, this argument. We do not believe that we are too poor, so it's all hands to the pumps is a good argument for slavery. But even if we did, has the Government of Posteastan passed any law making these activities legal? Could you point to that law? Is there a law anywhere that says 'we are instituting a civilian draft for the emergency'?"

"And if there is such a law, how does it define the term of national service? A draft provision typically has to define who is subject to national service, and how long they may be kept for service. Or are you saying that the emergency in Posteastan is, in itself, a moral excuse for your company to start grabbing people off the streets, in the vein of naval impressment in the 18th century, and keep them working for you until the emergency is declared ceased?" – the Allanean went on. "Sir, even if I believed – and absolutely I do not, because that's some of the most amazing bullshit I have had a representative ever tell me – that a company had the unilateral power to just enter a foreign country and start grabbing people off the streets, because their country was poor, it would still be a fucking idiotic idea. If we proceed on the idea that randomly impressing employees is a permissible tactic to end an emergency, then the emergency in Posteastan will literally last forever."

"Economic growth and prosperity is not consistent with an environment where an individual can lose their liberty at any given time, simply because some corporate suit decided to grab them and make them lay cables. Such an individual cannot engage in any economic planning – how can I know whether to invest money in my business, or repair my home, or buy a new set of fucking pants for a job interview, if I cannot know if some foreign shit is going to grab me and make me dig ditches?"

"It makes me sad that you associate capitalism as an unlimited permit for you to engage in physical violence to force people to labor for you. Not only is this morally decrepit, but indeed goes against even the most primitive understanding of economics. Remind me to never visit any country where your aid crews are operating, literally fucking ever."[/align]

by **Kenmoria** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:45 am

Two people, both with similar points, from opposite nations, were challenging Construction Enterprises on the same point of discussion. This would be fun. “If I may, firstly, deal with the query from the Caracasusian journalist, then the Allanean point of discussion. Though you both cover similar ground, I feel it is important to deal with both of your, rather legitimate, queries separately. However, I would first like to remind everyone that the work at the end of this process will be worth the sweat that our Posteastani employees have spent working for us, and the planned defence from other factions will be worth the wait.”

“You bring up the interesting point that our company has been, in your view, acting without authorisation. Unfortunately, I must protest this most strongly. My company has been given permission, in writing, from President Niculai Valaska to engage in the work it is. This has included express permission for all of our activities including the telecommunications work. Although these are strictly private and confidential, I will be happy to release them for you to verify their integrity if the President gives his permission for such to occur. I can assure you that there is no legal qualm with the Governemnt faction over our labour practices with the humanitarian work.”

“In addition, you mentioned the immediacy of assistance. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that there are many benefits to performing short term work that benefits the populace right in the here and now, it is also true that there is a need for long term thinking that will enable the citizens to build concrete plans for the future and prepare for the upcoming challenges Posteastan may face. There are international organisations and foreign actors delivering aid in the present moment, and I do not at all doubt the usefulness of the work. However, it is just as valid for my company to engage in more permanent structures, in order to prevent this type of conflict from occuring again.”

“Another point of raised was of coercion to people to join our workforce. These allegations are simply untrue. Everybody in our employment section has signed a contract guaranteeing a certain period of labour and, as long as they stick to the terms lawyers have carefully crafted, there will be no issue. Furthermore, my company will never commit any acts of fraud or deception in the pursuance of its, perfectly legal and completely agreed to by the local authorities, work. All the required terms and conditions are available online in both English and French, and are accessible only with the infrastructure that has been carefully constructed by my company for Roztechko and Pibtsy.”

“Lastly, it was mentioned who will take the responsibility if there are any complaints. It must be understood, to aid in contextual understanding, that what is being done is perfectly legal by all of Posteastan, World Assembly, and Kenmorian standards, so there are no grounds for any grievances. However, in the impossible event that some legal quibbled emerge, the corporation as a distinct legal person is liable to be sued, and may lose many Euros over damages. Since the business is owned, being a Public Limited Company, by thousands of people, it is simply impossible, not to mention profoundly immoral, to punish them all.”

“Now, I wish to engage with the response of the Allanean here with us tonight. Your opening remark is that Allanea is not in the World Assembly, and relates to something I do not feel was conveyed enough in my opening statement in response to the Caracasusian newspaper; my company is not and never has been subject to GA law, so any discussion thereof should be understood as occurring purely in a rather unlikely hypothetical sense. Our philosophy, something you mentioned is what your ideas are based upon, is focused around the idea of cooperation for a greater goal. Though one person individually cannot achieve any entire phone line, thousands can, and it is only if every single being in a community pulls together to do something, can that thing be done.”

“I believe it has been aforementioned so, apologies for sounding reminiscent of a broken record, but President Niculai Valaska has given express permission for these works. One would be reasonable, I assume, to believe that the leader of a nation is the one who best would know the invidual country’s laws. Furthermore, it should be stated that, in times of war, almost any action can be necessary if it would increase the greater good. This is something I believe should be deemed as true in almost all circumstances. No matter how much a lawyer may want to argue with the fine print, I take a simpler stance. If something will do good, why not do it?”

“Once again, I am not a lawyer, merely a spokesperson. I had expected for there to be slightly less quibbling over legal details. Thus, I do not know exactly for how long this national emergency period would last. However, I can make a reasonable assumption: for however long there is a national emergency, there will be people obligated by government to do the work necessary to fix it. The situation in Posteastan is, I’m sure you will agree, dire. There are people dying daily and being tortured by Renegages in the North and extreme religious groups all over torturing innocent women without any semblance of cause. I hope you will therefore believe that encouraging people to do work for their country is a proportionate response.”

“It also must be stated that my company is not planning to continue our current employment mention strategies indefinitely. As soon as there is a clear government in charge, with enough monopoly in the legitimate use of force to uphold law and order, it is planned for my company to switch to a less intensive idea of building infrastructure. There is no need for such a hatred of our current employment model, and it can be assured it is one based in tried and tested financial predictions, with an emphasis on permanent and well-working economic futures for the people of Posteastan.”

“Finally, let it be known that my company does not necessarily associate capitalism with our current practices. Indeed, one of the most frequent accusations levied against our shared ideology is heartlessness, which could not be further from the truth of this current situation. My company is working, night and day, to improve the situation of the average Posteastan resident, and has survived missile strikes and terrorist attacks to deliver a vital service to the normal individual. All of this fuss and controversy may make one forget that, but, in my mind, that is the most important truth of this important matter.”

by **Allanea** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 12:22 pm

"To quote the philosopher, 'the man who speaks to you of sacrifice, speaks of slaves and masters. And intends to be the master.' The question of the 'legal quibbles' is a very significant one, because for this issue to be clarified, we need to be clear on what, precisely, is happening." – the Allanean said. "You're simultaneously saying two things. On one hand, you're telling me that the involvement of local individuals in your enterprise is a purely voluntary affair. If this is true, obviously all that remains for the Free Kingdom to do is to apologize, shake your hand, and move on our separate business. Simultaneously you tell us that there is some legal loophole that allows you to round people up and use their labor against their will in national emergencies. If it were true that all your operations are based, as you said before, on the voluntary cooperation of thousands of Posteastani, why would the ostensible power to harness non-voluntary labor even be an issue?"

"Now, returning to the statements by President Valaska. I understand that President Valaska has given you some kind of permission to operate, we have known this for a while know, that isn’t the question. The question is – is it legal, under Posteastani law, to use compulsory labor to build phone lines, and if it is legal under Posteastani law, what are the restrictions imposed on doing so?"

"As for the bizarre, and, frankly, ignorant aside on the requirement for the state to have a monopoly on the use of force, it's saddening to see an ostensibly capitalist delegate adopt a Weberian conception of the state. It's also not clear how that is relevant to anything. The fact that Posteastan is embroiled in a civil war does not mean that we are all going to sit down and say 'well, we guess that you can just randomly grab fellows off the street and make them lay phone line'. "

"Again: either you claim that your organization's cooperation with Posteastani is voluntary, or you claim that you are using compulsory labor, and that this is somehow legal. To be clear, the use of such compulsory labor may only be legitimized in some partial way if it is, first of all, authorized specifically and explicitly by Postestani law, and second legally restricted – say, with a service term of two years, such as many nation's military draft schemes."

"Such a scheme, while the Free Kingdom regards it as economically stupid and counterproductive, would at least not be, as we understand it, a form of slavery, or at least it would not be any more slavery than a military draft scheme is slavery."

"But there is no evidence, and so far you've not even pretended to have this evidence, that Posteastan operates a national service system such as described. So far all we have is some kind of non-coherent noises about how it's compliant with the World Assembly declarations – which, by the way, Allanea has never signed – to grab people off the streets. I'm still waiting – the world is still waiting – for a coherent explanation of what the law with which your company is supposedly oh-so-compliant is. If you need to take a break and confer with your company's legal department, that's entirely fine by me."

by **The World Capitalist Confederation** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:19 pm

Imperial Palace, London

It was a dark midnight. The Moon could barely rear its head and there was no light but a small glow coming from the Imperial Throne. He had dialed the phone, looking for Tavitan. Once he had reached him, he smirked, knowing that this would be another push; another victory for Britain.

The Emperor asked Tavitan, "Out of every single one in there, do you know who I have picked?"
"You." He continued, not letting him answer.
"Your platform and rhetoric have appealed to me. I ask you now to either make your case over the phone or meet me in the Palace. Your choice." He prattled on, hoping to meet him or at least get some sort of answer.

by **Rivienland** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:08 pm

Isle of Corney, Great Nortend

Sir Alexander sat in his comfortable arm chair and smiled. He liked the company and also the attention. His life was good in Great Nortend, probably a lot better than it ever could be in Posteastan. However, there was always something missing form his life. This last piece, it was now there. He was old but he never before felt better or more alive. Rubbing his hands he spoke to his friends and the new arrivals. "We are making great progress; the Moralists are no more and it seems that Valaska has already fled the country. The communist invasion has been repelled! All this mostly to the tireless work of the Kingdom of Lux Pulchrae." He waved at the new arrivals. "You just arrived in time my friends. The days of the defensive are over, now we are going to move on to new frontiers. Lux Pulchrae has established full control over Telin Province and we now need to speak about our next steps." He pointed at a map on the heavy oak table. Small flags showed the ever-shrinking territory controlled by Telinburg and but they also showed all the new places where the cog-wheel banner had been raised. Sir Alexander slowly placed two Kjalaaran flags in the seaward provinces. "We have a new problem now. Heathens, coming to take our land? I am not sure what to do about it or how serious this problem is going to be. No one is going to beat them in open combat. They are just too many for that, but we can use that to our advantage if we avoid them and let Tavitian 's men do all the dying. What are your thoughts my friends? Are we going to continue at this speed and all on our own or is it time to find allies and diplomatically increase our sphere of control?"

Sir Edourard, stepping forward, bowed in front of Sir Alexander before speaking, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Majesty. While we have heard many good things about you, these compliments fail to capture your regal character. We are glad to arrive at such a momentous moment, and congratulate not only Your Majesty, but your allies on such hard-won progress. Though," Sir Edourard moved closer to the heavy oak table, "we must stress how the decisions made in these next few weeks will determine the entire restoration movement. Before discussing what to do next, I must remind everyone that, for the time being, Rivienland is standing back in the current crisis, and will not officially support any faction within Posteastan. His Royal Highness believes that, based on recent international developments, any further action by Rivienland in Posteastan could worsen diplomatic relations in Forest.

"Now, concerning the next moves the restoration movement should make, I cannot stress enough that only so much can be achieved if Your Majesty decides to 'continue at this speed' without more allies. While the Royalists have weathered the conflict for this long, I fear, based on what has transpired, that forces, both domestic and foreign, will move against you. May I remind Your Majesty, and others, that due to your acceptance of foreign troops from a fascist power, Forest has unanimously decided against supporting you. Already, Great Nortend, which is not a fascist nation, has had its reputation besmirched internationally. Furthermore, Keilersmoor, one of the few nations in Forest that might have supported a royal restoration, has now lost all faith in this movement. To be direct, the involvement of Lux Pulchrae, while assisting greatly within Posteastan, has virtually ruined any attempt at seeking aid from Forest. This alone will cause complications regarding which factions will choose to ally with the Royalists, and, with the Royalists deciding not to participate in the elections hosted by the Democratic Social Union of Posteastan, this leaves the Royalists abandoned both within, and outside of the country.

"Still, there might be some ways of changing current perceptions. First, there must be a complete withdrawal of Lux Pulchraean troops from the country. Instead, unofficially, I would recommend the hiring of local mercenaries, like the Cossack Legion. Second, Your Majesty must publicly denounce the support of Fascism. This might allow for relations to heal with Forest, and other nations. Third, in relation to finding allies within Posteastan, I would consider increasing your ties with the Church of Posteastan, which could be a natural ally after the death of the Patriarch, and forming a non-aggression pact with the Renegades. The Renegades have no major ideology, are well-off, and, if the airport can be fixed up, could become a viable trading partner. I believe if these steps are taken the Royalist's reputation can be restored, and the movement can find new allies."

by **Great Nortend** » Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:17 am

ISLE OF CORNEY— “Sir Edourard,” said Endersby, concerned at the proposals made by the Rivienlander. “I am confident that Great Nortend's reputation as a peaceful and non-belligerent nation is yet still intact. From my correspondence with the Foreign Secretary of Keilersmoor, I am convinced that his government accepts that Great Nortend, or at least the Posteastan Alms Society which is the only official Erbonian body to be active therein, has been acting bona fide to support the people of Leozina and Posteastan.

“We have been able to raise a considerable civilian force from the citizens of Leozina themselves; I'm not sure if you know this—we have established what is known as the 'Leozina Watch Militia'. A sort of constabulary-cum-militia if you will. There is considerable support for the Royalists in Leozina and the surrounding areas, as the forces of Lux Pulchrae, as well as our Society and the Watch Militia have worked tirelessly to repair roads and infrastructure, deliver needed healthcare and medical care, and to supply the people with essential goods.

“Sire,” he said now, turning to Sir Alexander, “I bid caution you to denounce fascism. Lux Pulchrae is a very good ally of our cause, and describe themselves as fascist. However, we do not believe their definition of fascism is similar to the fascism of Nazi Germany which we all detest. Indeed, from reports from their recent... statement from the Forest conference, they appear to denounce the Germany Nazi ideology. I believe a more prudent approach would be to emphasise the values of Leozinans: loyalty, courage, peace and faith.

“We should be wary of hiring local mercenaries, as if this were to become common knowledge, it would likely ruin or severely damage the reputation of the Royalists. Our Watch, though not perfectly trained, is well structured and is a credible last-resort defence force for the City. I submit to you, Sire, that now with the Patriarch deceased, this would be the best time to establish stronger relations with the Church of Posteastan, as Sir Edourard mentioned. Psalm 21, the national anthem of Great Nortend no less, begins: 'The King shall rejoice in thy strength, O Lord. Exceeding glad shall he be in thy salvation.' You are ordained by God and the people of Leozina as their King. It is crucial to gain the support of the first estate of the Realm.”

by **Uan aa Boa** » Sat Mar 23, 2019 3:15 am

Construction Enterprises Press Conference
"Eloise Tenga, The Rifle, Hoe and Sun. You ask for less of what you term quibbling over legal details. In your introduction you mentioned some skilled control of Uan aa Boa's naval forces as your private army and its Kjalaran escort refused to allow inspection by international peacekeeping forces. My newspaper has this morning published on its website video footage showing your ship threatening to attack the peacekeepers, and also the transmission, bearing the personal signature of Tove Gormsdóttir, that literally threatens all out nuclear war. The Boani vessel involved was a small ship equipped for scientific purposes completely unable to stand in the way of your heavily armed ship and a full Kjalaran fleet.

So by your own admission today, you have bought military forces into Posteastan with violent intentions. You have done this by intending to sink vessels from an international peacekeeping force and by threatening nuclear war.

What is your comment on that? In what way would "destroying Boani centres of population without warning" contribute to your allegedly humanitarian purposes?"

by **Kenmoria** » Sat Mar 23, 2019 5:02 am

Worryingly, the Allanean representative had not been dissuaded, and was now asking for information the Construction Enterprises spokesperson did not have, nor was he even sure anyone in the company knew. With permission from the leader of Posteastan, most had assumed that what they were doing was legal. It wasn’t so bad if it wasn’t, for almost anything could be made legal with a dedicated enough team of solicitors, but could have some rather unfortunate implications for the humanitarianism façade that had been established for the mission. Luckily, it would only take a quick communication to Valaska, which could be done in the break whilst the spokesperson checked with the team backstage, to assert this.

“If I may, firstly, address the question from the Boani Eloise Tenga, I will then proceed to remark upon allegations made by the Allanean representative. Firstly, I will point out that the overall goal of the IDS forces was to proceed without any casualties. The Boani vessels did have people on them, who would have been killed were the soldiers of the joint Kjalåran naval ships just ploughed through. To this aim, we asked for you to move aside, threatening attack if this request was not something with which there was compliance.”

“Though this may seem rather extreme, I ask you to think of this logically. Suppose the force did not enact communication, and just ploughed through. That would have killed everyone on the Boani ships and, given there was no confirmed know,edge of what exactly was on those ships, one or two Kenmorians or Kjalårans. In this scenario, we have casualties numbering however, any were on the Boani ships, potentially plus a few. When the warning was made, it had two outcomes. Firstly, the vessels move aside, in which case there are no casualties. Or everyone on the Boani boats were killed, in which care we are left with the same casualties as the first option, minus a few.”

“I hope you can now see why what was done happened. However, there is the question of the planned retaliation. It must be made clear, that neither the IDS or my company had full control over the communications of the Kjalårans, as they are a sovereign nation free to make their own choices. Imagine, for example, the Uan aa Boa fleet was threatened with attack by multiple nations in an enclosed space. It would be perfectly reasonable for that nation to give a warning of serious retaliation, if a large chunk of its military was in major danger of imminent destruction.”

“Now, of course, I wish to consult with my legal team on the precise details of the employment strategy currently being used. I’m sure there will be an explanation that does not rely on such outlandish allegations, using some rather loaded language. However, I can clarify something that may have been left unintentionally ambiguous. We employ a voluntary scheme, taking contributions from the local community that are the backbone of our work. However, lives are at stake if the work isn’t completed in time, so occasionally my company uses Posteastan laws to add an aspect of obligation and necessity to the program.”

“However, there are some legal details I have not been trained on, so there will be a short break while there is consultation.” As the spokesperson stepped off the stage, to rapturous applause of some company representatives planted in the audience, one of the painc screens was put on a projector. It showed some IDS soldiers watching over a Construction Enterprises employee feeding some Roztechko citizens with branded bread. As the scenes faded one into the other, a gently flashing image, the spokesperson went behind the curtain to ask some questions on exactly how much forced labour was being used, and if there was any way it could be legal.

by **Rivienland** » Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:25 am

Isle of Corney, Great Nortend

"First," said Sir Edourard, turning towards the Nortan, "I meant no disrespect towards the Kingdom of Great Nortend. Many within the Grand Duchy, including myself, hold your kingdom in high regard, and I only was repeating what I have been hearing in certain diplomatic circles. Second, I have heard of the Leozina Watch Militia, and, as I have mentioned earlier, I must applaud the efforts of Great Nortend, and Lux Pulchrae in this respect. Without a doubt, the Militia have become an exemplary example of what can be achieved under Royalist rule. But, with Lux Pulchraean troops in Posteastan, international opinion will only continue to view the Royalist movement negatively. "

"Now, Your Majesty," he remarked, now refocusing on Sir Alexander, "while you might choose not to denounce fascism, I must remind everyone that any possibility of Forest supporting the Royalists will be slim. Furthermore, due to the associations of the Royalists with a fascist nation, this might force nations in Forest to move against you. I fear that, even with several nations currently supporting you, it will not be enough once Tavitian, or the government decide to march against you."

Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God [IC|MT|Open]

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